As Mad As A Hatter
by PrudencePiperHalliwell
Summary: The Hatter's eyes are turning a dark shade and without his Alice, his heart is turning to ice. Can Alice save him before the Red Queen recruits him?
1. Lovely Shades of Black

Grey! What an atrociously boring, ghastly color. Grey! The Hatter frowned deeply and looked into the mirror that Cheshire had offered so that he would be able to witness this atrocity for himself. He gave a short intake of breath, blinking in confusion at the stranger blinking back at him. Who was this strange man looking back at him? Why had he stolen his reflection? He had unruly, wild orange locks that were hanging limply, almost straight! What was the point of having orange hair if it was straight? And those eyes. Those large, dull, boring grey eyes that blinked back at him frightened him terribly. He had never seen such doll, boring, hollow eyes. And his skin was extremely pale - as if he were auditioning for the role of the moon on a pitch black summer night. "What is happening to me," he whispered shakily, wondering when he had begun to lose himself.

He had always prided himself in still having the child like joy that many become sucked dry of as they grow older. But now, now it seemed as if he were losing that childlike innocence and the witty banter. He needed to figure this out before his eyes turned black for there would be no turning back if they were to turn black. Imagine at Hatter with black eyes! What a strange, peculiar thing.

His head snapped up and her name entered his mind. He had begun to lose his muchness when she left Underland, or Wonderland as she had fondly called it. It had been approximately six months since she had slayed the Jabberwocky and had returned home to the "other world". He had desperately wanted her to stay behind with him, but that would have been terribly rude of him to hold her here when she blatantly told him that she had questions that needed answers. And so, she had bid him farewallen and life was supposed to return to normal since the White Queen was back in power. Tea was supposed to resume at six o'clock promptly, but everything was out of sorts.

Since she had left, he had been late for tea almost every single day which was very unlike him. He was usually the one yelling at her for being late and yet here he was, setting up a horrid example for her to follow. He would be unable to scold her for being late for tea when she returned to Underland, especially since he was late for his own tea party. How rude of him! Oh he felt so guilty for making the others wait. Though, he found himself wondering if she would ever return to have tea with him once more.

She had kept him waiting a long time once before and he was unsure of how long it would take for her to return for tea again. Time seemed to work differently in her world. One day she was a young, naïve little girl with great muchness potential and the next she was a young woman having lost her muchness. He did not like it when she went back to London, as she had called it. It sounded like a strange place from what she had told him of it.

Animals not speaking and scolding mothers left and right. A place where being mad was simply mad! How unfortunate. He wondered how it was that the Alice with great muchness had come from a place so drab and dull as London. London. What a horrid place it must be compared to Underland. If you were normal in Underland, you were simply mad and not the good type of mad, but the bad type of mad where you would get your head chopped off if the Red Queen were still in reign.

Alice.

He finally spoke her name and butterflies fluttered in his stomach. "Oh hello butterflies, how did you get in there," he pondered aloud for a moment. "I do not recall eating you and entrapping you in my belly," he continued.

He was unfamiliar with these strange feelings when he thought of Alice. Her curly, light colored blonde hair that was soft to the touch and her large, childlike blue eyes that would often times mirror his own child like joy. Together, it was them against the world. But, without her, without her, he was just as mad as a hatter. His heart ached when he thought of never seeing her again. "Oh, dear heart, do not hurt. I am sure she will return any day now," he thought out loud, trying to reassure his heart along with himself that she would be back any day now.

Though, as the words left his lips, he couldn't fully believe in the words that were leaving his mouth. Deep, deep down he knew that there was a possibility that she would never return to Underland. She would never come back to her Wonderland - to him. The more he believed that she had abandoned him and his world, the darker his eyes became.

First, they had turned from a deep, bright green to a faint blue. Then, they slowly started turning grey and now - well now as he glanced at his reflection in the mirror, his eyes were slowly turning a darker shade. A shade known as black. He gasped, snapping the mirror shut and shoving it back towards the cat.

Closing his eyes, he began to ramble incoherently, trying to make sense of it all. "Black! What kind of ghastly eyes are black? They were green and bright and lively when she was here and now that she is gone, they have turned black. She is the black eye color turner! I am losing my muchness," he whispered the last part in horror. For it was different when a Hatter lost his muchness compared to when the Alice lost her muchness. The Alice was able to gain her muchness back with the help of the Hatter. He had saved her eyes from turning black. But, she was not here to save him from lack of muchness. Without his Alice here to save him, his eyes would turn a nasty shade of black. If they stayed black for the time of three tea parties, well then they would remain black forever and his heart would turn to ice - as cold and barren and empty as the Red Queen's heart.

He let out a sob as Cheshire grinned widely, his toothy smile greatly annoying the Hatter. "Black is a lovely color on you," he commented before slowly disappearing, his body first and then his large, toothy grin. That grin was the last thing the Hatter remembered before his entire world went black. His last thought was, "Alice," before all went dark in his once bright, lively world.

Somewhere in the other world, up in London, a young girl named Alice who had been sleeping soundly of rabbits in waistcoats and talking caterpillars woke up startled, drenched in a cold sweat. She looked around her bedroom wildly, her unruly, curly locks whipping around her head from the swift movement of her body. "Mad Hatter," she breathed out as her heart raced and her pulse quickened.


	2. Alice In Wonderland

It had been a mere six months since Alice had found herself back in Wonderland. The first time she had visited the magical land of impossible dreams, she had been a young child. Ever since that first encounter with talking caterpillars and rabbits with waistcoats and pocket watches, it seemed that the wondrous land had haunted her dreams every single night until thirteen years later when she found her way back to her dream world. Except, it was not a dream. Wonderland was real. However, Alice was the only one who was aware of Wonderland's existence outside of Wonderland. And so, it was her dream world where impossible things became possible and where it was completely normal to be absolutely mad. In fact, if you were not bonkers, well then you did not belong in Underland. The proper name for this mysterious place was called Underland but as a child, Alice had fondly renamed it Wonderland since it was her own land of wonder.

In Wonderland, time seemed to stop and anything could happen. Animals could speak and Alice could be the White Queen's champion. She had wanted more than anything to stay behind in Wonderland once she had slain the Jabberwocky. It was the only place where she felt as if she truly belonged and where she was truly understood. Back in London, her mother was always one stop away from sending her to the loony bin, claiming that the thoughts she thought and the words she spoke were not of a normal nature. Back when her father had been alive, she had been able to say whatever she liked for he saw the world as she did. However, once her father sadly passed on, Alice's mother's patience shimmered away, along with her father's dreams of expanding his company.

She would have stayed behind in Wonderland with all of her friends and with him - the Mad Hatter. Gosh, he was the only one who seemed to understand her lunacy and if possible, he was more mad than she! However, she needed to tie up some loose ends and she needed to bid her mother and sister a proper farewell. Plus, she had a proposal to attend to and questions that needed answering. She knew that everyone was waiting for her and was waiting with baited breath to hear her answer. Whilst Alice was always a rather improper girl according to her mother, in a way, she was incredibly proper and never rude. She had a heart of gold and genuinely wished no harm on any. It would be terribly rude of her to leave them all hanging indefinitely and she could only imagine what her mother would say if Alice never turned up. She would be absolutely devastated, as would Alice's sister, Margaret.

He had wanted her to stay and she wanted to stay. If only things were that easy, but things were never that easy. Life was complicated in London, as they were in Wonderland also. If it had simply been a matter of wanting to stay in London or wanting to stay in Wonderland, she would still be in Wonderland to the very day. She would have never even looked back to her days in London and she would have happily lived amongst her friends - the people who understood her in Wonderland. Though, things were never that easy.

For the past six months, she had been traveling the vast, open seas, expanding her father's company and living his dream. She had thought it would be enough - allowing for her father to live on through her adventures. She really thought it would have made her not completely forget about Wonderland, but perhaps make her miss it less. Though, it only made her miss it more because she found herself constantly wondering about Wonderland and the Mad Hatter. She missed them dearly and found herself wanting to go back. She wanted nothing more than anything to go back to Wonderland and to be on time for tea, for once. However, she had no idea how to say goodbye to her mother and to her sister. The time never seemed right.

Though, as she was awakened by a pain in her heart and she could have sworn that she heard a familiar voice call out her name, she immediately knew something was wrong. The Mad Hatter. Something was not right. Whilst most things were not right in Wonderland, something terribly wrong had occurred in her absence and it was time that she returned. She glanced around her darkened bedroom and all she could see was black which was odd since she had left a candle lit by her bedside. She cleared her throat, reminding herself that she had nothing to fear but fear itself. Dangling her legs over the edge of the bed so that her bare feet brushed against the cold tile floor, she wondered if she should bid her mother and sister farewell for she was not sure how long it would be before she would see them again. She had always been planning on returning to Wonderland permanently, but she had been hoping to wait just a little while longer.

Though, Wonderland needed her and she needed Wonderland. Her Mad Hatter needed her and she would come to his rescue. After all, without him, she would have died whilst in battle with the Jabberwocky. He had aided her and saved her countless times that it was about time she returned the favor. Not bothering to change into attire more suited for venturing outside, she fumbled around in the dark for the candle that had been burning before she fell asleep.

Relighting the candle after several failed tries, she quickly and quietly hurried down the hall and past her mother's bedroom. She heard faint snoring and she whispered, "Goodbye mother. Farewallen," before disappearing down the stairs in nothing but a blur of blonde curls and white lace.

Creeping out the back door which her mother never seemed to lock, she shivered at the winter morning chill. Wrapping her arms around herself with her only guide as the single flame that flickered in the midnight sky, she stepped off of her back porch and onto the grass. Curling her bare toes in the grass which was still wet from the evening's rain, she smiled. She always loved to go around barefoot; it made her feel free. If she had spoken said thoughts aloud, her mother would have reprimanded her for speaking such improper thoughts. The Mad Hatter, however, would have laughed joyously and joined her.

Glancing over her shoulder to make sure that no one was stirring in the house - not even a mouse, she hurried towards the gardens where she had fallen into Wonderland the first time around - down one of the few rabbit holes that actually led to Wonderland. Since it had been a mere six months since her last visit, she remembered it clearly well. "Here goes nothing," she murmured, disappearing down the hole with only one thing on her mind - the Mad Hatter and coming to his aid.


	3. A Truce of Sorts

The Mad Hatter awoke to find himself in a dark, cold, dungeon like room. His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and he was able to make out a faint glow of a single candle burning on the opposite end of the room and the candle seemed to be floating! "Very curious," he murmured to himself, wondering when candles learned how to fly. He had heard of flying pigs but never of flying candles. "Very curious indeed," he murmured to himself since he thought himself to be alone. However, upon further inspection of the mysterious floating candle, he was able to make out that the candle was not floating, but rather someone was holding it - a guard. A thousand questions raced through his mind - why was he locked in a dungeon and why was there a guard, obviously guarding his prison. "Peculiar. Very peculiar indeed," he mumbled once more for he never liked the quiet. He never liked being alone, by himself.

Though, he soon found he was not alone for he heard movement beside him. The Hatter jumped, standing up and backing as far away from the noise as possible for he could not see who or rather what it was. "Look who it is," a clear, booming voice echoed in the cell's walls as the voice came closer, lessening the distance between the mysterious voice and the Hatter. "Who would have thought that my sister would have thrown her own Hatter in the dungeons. Oh yes, something about being guilty of having a heart of ice. Is that true," the all too familiar voice questioned.

The Hatter remained silent, trying to put a face to a name and his eyes widened when he realized of whom the voice belonged to. The Red Queen. "The White Queen threw my in the dungeons," he asked shakily, not wanting to believe this. How could she betray him as so? It was the Red Queen who had always been the one to throw him into the dungeons and to torture him. The Red Queen had been the one to chain him up and drive him mad - and not the good kind of mad, but the absolute horrid kind of mad. The Red Queen had been the one that would point at him accusingly and declare, "Off with his head". The White Queen would never do this to him. This had to be a trap - a false riddle of sorts. "I do not believe you," he finally declared, refusing to speak ill of his queen.

He turned to the guard and cleared his throat, attempting to awaken the sleeping figure. "Sir, sir, this is a misunderstanding - some kind of mistake! I do not need to be here for I have done nothing wrong. I am in the dungeon with the Red Queen - the White Queen's feared and hated sister! Her blasted head is going to crush me if you don't let me out!" His rushed tone and raised voice startled the guard as he awoke and blinked in shock at the Hatter who dared to wake him. He glared daggers at the frustrated and bonkers man with the now pin straight orange hair and the pitch black eyes. "You are exactly where you are supposed to be. Guilty of having a heart as cold as ice."

The Hatter was rendered speechless which took a lot since he always had something to say. He was never at a loss of words, until now. The White Queen had banished him and placed him in the same cellar as the Red Queen.

The Red Queen clucked her tongue in mock sympathy for she knew what it was like to be banished since she had been here because of that blasted sister of hers who had a pimple of a head and that wretched, naïve little girl, Alice who had fooled her once by claiming to be Um from Umbridge. "What a shame. To be abandoned by the one you love and then stabbed in the back by the one you follow and have devoted your life to."

At first, she had not believed that it was possible that the Mad Hatter could be turned. Though, upon further inspection, he had eyes that were blacker than hers. And the blacker ones eyes were in Underland, the colder their heart was. Whilst the Hatter had been sleeping, the Red Queen had been plotting and planning. With someone like the Hatter on her side, she could come out of banishment and take the crown from her ghastly air headed sister once more. After all, as she had been saying all along, she was the oldest and she deserved the crown. It was common knowledge that the eldest child always took over the throne whenever the current king and queen passed on. Sure, she may have aided in their passing being earlier than destiny had originally wanted them to pass, but that did not change the fact that she was still the eldest child. And she wanted her crown!

"We have both been betrayed and stabbed in the back by the ones we love," she whispered, not wanting the guard to hear what she was proposing. "We understand each other. We are in the same boat," she assured him, reaching out to tenderly touch his cheek. He was much more attractive with those darkly colored eyes and his dark demeanor. He had always irked her as an overly cheerful person and she loathed anyone that had more cheer than she did. And since she was generally a dark person herself, she loathed anyone who was not like her. Now that the Hatter was dark, she could corrupt him and she could use him to regain power. Oh the things she could do with the Hatter on her side.

The Hatter remained silent, lost in his own thoughts and being forced to listen to the Red Queen. Everything he had known was not gone. Alice was not coming back and she had left him. She had left him alone at his own tea party and now the White Queen had stowed him away with the wretched Red Queen. Were they really the same person now? Betrayed by the ones they loved and then banished because they were miserable for it?

"Perhaps we are more alike than we thought, my queen," he said, testing the waters. He liked the sound of that. He had someone to understand him again. Before, Alice had been the only one to fully comprehend his lunacy for she was rather mad herself. But now, now he was different. His heart no longer beat quickly when he thought of Alice. Those butterflies were gone and now he had a faint ache in his heart whenever he thought of her - the girl that had ripped out his heart and turned it to ice. She had turned his world black and left him alone. She had abandoned him in his time of need and now, well now he had a heart of ice. All thanks to Alice. The Alice. The White Queen's champion. His former champion. His former Alice.

"Imagine what we could do. The damage that could be done. The power we could have if you and I worked together," she whispered her plan to him, hanging onto his every word. She had him right where she wanted him. Together, they would be unstoppable and no one would be able to banish her again. No one could put a damper on her plans. Not the Hatter. Not the White Queen. And certainly not Alice.

In fact, the Hatter never wanted to hear her name again.


	4. The Takeover

One would think that after forgetting the key on the table twice before, the third time would be the charm. After shrinking and then growing and then re-shrinking herself, Alice found herself, once more, in the marvelous world of Wonderland. She closed her eyes and breathed in the crisp, cool air, momentarily forgetting that she was in a rush to rescue her favorite Mad Hatter from she didn't know what. There was just something about Wonderland that made her feel so calm and relaxed. She ignored the hustling and the bustling of the flowers that were always gossiping until she overheard one peculiar thing which caught her attention. "The Mad Hatter has turned against the White Queen," a large, bright purple flower said rather loudly. It was impossible to miss what she had said, even for Alice who had actually been trying to block out their annoyingly high pitched voices.

She whirled around and asked, "Pardon me, what did you just say?"

The flower glared at the blonde headed girl for interrupting her conversation. "How rude, Alice, really. You would think that after growing up, you would have developed some manners by now. Did your mother ever teach you not to eavesdrop on other's conversations?"

Alice sighed; if she had wanted to be scolded, she would have stayed behind in London and listened to her own mother rant and rave. "I beg your pardon, but what was it that you said about the Hatter? He has turned, you mentioned," she said politely, trying to get the flower back on track for she did not understand. How was it that the Hatter, her Hatter, who had a heart of gold and muchness that surpassed her own was able to turn and go against the White Queen? It was impossible. Surely, she had heard them wrong or perhaps they had heard wrong and they were spreading false rumors about the Mad Hatter.

The flower's eyes widened at the mention of the Hatter. "Oh dear, yes. He was accused of having a heart of ice and the blackest eyes the White Queen has ever seen! My dear, she said it was because of you!"

Alice jumped, startled at the flower's outburst and accusations. "A heart of ice? Black eyes? Caused by me? Surely you are mistaken," she said, shaking her head vigorously, refusing to believe that this could be true. "You are lying to me!"

The purple carnation frowned deeply at the girl. "Listen you stupid girl. You abandoned the Hatter and expected him to wait happily for you to return. There are always consequences to your actions. The Hatter has turned and he is safely stowed away in the White Queens' dungeons, where he belongs."

"Why you blasted wretched flower! How dare you speak ill of the Hatter like that! You do not even deserve to be bloomed," she cried out angrily, shocked and hurt by the accusations. Could it be that the Hatter's heart had turned as cold as ice and that his eyes were no longer a lovely shade of green but a ghastly shade of black? It couldn't be. Her Hatter would never do such a thing. But then again, a lot could change in six months. She had been expecting things to be exactly the same as they once were, but perhaps she had been wrong.

"What have I done," she whispered in horror as the flower shook her head solemnly at her. Breaking out into a run, she needed to get away from the flowers and she needed to find out the truth. She needed to get to the White Queen's castle as fast as she possibly could. Though, being shorter than a flower with legs as long as a mere needle, she was not going to get there anytime soon. She needed to find the rabbit or perhaps the Cheshire cat to give her some cake to make her right size again. She needed to get to the Hatter as quickly as possible to see for herself what had happened. She did this and she had to make it right.

"Cheshire, Cheshire," she cried out, hoping beyond hope itself that he could hear her and that he was waiting for her. "Cheshire, I need you," she continued, waiting with baited breath for the all too familiar pair of wide, mischief eyes and large, toothy grin to appear out of thin air.

As if on cue, said eyes and grin appeared followed by the rest of his body. He stretched, as if bored and looked at her in annoyance. "I was cat napping," he said in an obviously bored tone. Though, he had been expecting her to arrive. After all, the connection that she and the Hatter shared was a strange one at that, strange enough for Cheshire to notice that the two of them were bound one way or another. "Get on with it. Why did you awaken me," he asked, resting his head on his paws which he had crossed.

Alice rolled her eyes at his obvious attitude. "Where is the Hatter? I need to see the Hatter," she cried out desperately, worrying since the longer Cheshire stalled her, the worst the situation could become. "Please take me to him! Please!"

He rolled his large eyes upwards and nodded after a moment's delay. "I suppose I could take you to the White Queen's castle where he is. But what would I receive out of this?"

Without hesitation, Alice said all too quickly, "The Hatter's hat! If you take me to him and I turn him back, I will convince him to give you his hat."

Cheshire raised a curious brow at her. She really had that much confidence in herself and in her abilities that she would be able to bring the Hatter back to the light side? "Do you really think he wants to change back," he inquired. "Perhaps he is happier off without you."

Alice frowned, not wanting to entertain that thought. She would bring him back to the side of good - to the White Queen's side. All he needed was a good witty banter and perhaps a riddle or two and he would be as good as knew, she was sure of it. "Of course he does. Do you want the hat or not," she said in annoyance. Now she was the one who was annoyed.

The cat grinned, as if he knew something that she did not. "Very well then. Follow me," he said, disappearing once more and then reappearing a few feet away in a tree. "Are you coming, Alice," he called teasingly, continuing to disappear and then reappear so that Alice could follow his path to the White Queen's castle. "I hope you are right, little girl. After all, I do love that hat."

After tirelessly following after Cheshire who claimed he did not have anymore of the cake that would make her bigger for what felt like hours, he mysteriously found some and offered it to her. "Oh silly me. I forgot that I had some left," he said cheekily, knowing that Alice would not be able to seek revenge since he was her only way to the White Queen's castle.

After approaching the White Queen's castle, Cheshire's eyes widened and the smirk that was always placed upon his face disappeared. "We are too late," he said shakily; obviously frightened. "I fear that the Red Queen has gotten to him before you could. I'm afraid we are simply too late, my dear." With that, he disappeared, obviously not wanting to be in the same place as the Red Queen and the recently turned Hatter.

Alice was left alone in the midst of a take over in which she did not want to be a part of. She heard a blood curdling scream in a high pitched, rather feminine voice. "The White Queen," Alice cried in horror, taking off towards the castle doors which were locked. "Let me in, let me in," she called out, tears beginning to stream down her face. All of this was her fault. The White Queen was being harmed. She hoped that deep, deep down, the Red Queen would not harm her baby sister. They had never before resorted to violence against one another and it was against the White Queen's vows to resort to violence. Though, it was not against the Red Queen's vows.

And just like that, as if someone had poured a large bucket of red paint over the white castle, the entire castle turned red and black. Maniacal laughter ensued and the front doors opened on their own. "Come in, Alice, we have been expecting you," said a deep, booming voice that resembled a voice that belonged to the once Red Queen.

Alice hesitated before entering the former White Queen's castle. She stopped in mid stride and her eyes widened in horror at the sight laid out before her. The White Queen was on the floor, motionless and headless. The Red Queen was grinning madly and in her head she held the former head of her baby sister whose eyes were frozen in fear. And standing beside the Red Queen with a sword dripping with crimson blood was the Mad Hatter - Alice's hatter. Blue eyes met black ones and she felt cold and empty as her gaze locked with his. She had never felt so cold and empty before in her whole entire existence; not even in London had she seen such cruel, hatred behind black eyes.

"Hello Alice. We have been expecting you," he said followed by his own maniacal laughter that send shivers down Alice's spine. "You will be next."


	5. Tarrant

The White Queen is dead and the Red Queen and the Mad Hatter have joined forces and taken over all of Wonderland. Sitting in the former White Queens' dungeons, Alice, went over her current situation in her head. Perhaps a riddle or two and a witty banter wouldn't be enough to turn the Hatter back as she had originally hoped. The way he had looked at her - as if he wanted her dead. And the cold, emotionless voice in which he regarded her still sent shivers down her spine. He had ordered the guards to take her away, promising that he would deal with her later. Not even his voice had been the same; it was deep, dark and emotionless. Monotone. He had no feelings. No emotions. No heart. No, a heart of ice which she had bestowed upon him.

"Well we're screwed," she said to no one in particular. It seemed that the Red Queen was going to allow the Hatter to finish her off since she figured it would be rather poetic. "Slain by the one whose heart you turned to ice," she had said followed by a chuckle of delight. The Hatter had dismissed her presence with a wave of his hand, as if he did not even care that she had come back - come back for him. "Hatter," she had screamed, her voice full of emotion. Her large, child like blue eyes were widened with fear and concern, not for herself, but rather for him. He could have killed her himself right then and there and she would not have cared, she still would have been concerned for him. "What have I done," she had murmured to herself in defeat, hanging her head low as she had been dragged to the dungeons.

She had been too late. The Red Queen had corrupted the Mad Hatter and he had slain the White Queen. Her Hatter, her innocent, childlike Mad Hatter had murdered their queen. What had he done? What had she done? "I deserve to be beheaded," she murmured to herself, plopping down in the far corner of the darkened dungeon. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her knees and began to rock back and forth gently. She hadn't meant for this to happen. She hadn't wanted anyone to get hurt. She should have never come back to Wonderland. Never. She buried her head in her arms as she continued to rock back and forth, flashes of her childhood entering her mind; first falling into Wonderland and then her father explaining that it was all a dream. Then, every night following that for thirteen years she would wake up screaming. Her parents had thought it was a nightmare, but she was screaming because she was desperate to go back.

Wonderland had taken over her entire life. Any hope she had at a normal life was taken away from her as soon as she discovered the existence of another world - her other world - her Wonderland. "I wish I had never found Wonderland. Then everything would be fine. Everyone would be safe and happy."

"You silly girl, you do not believe that," said a voice and upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the invisible Cheshire whom she had believed had abandoned her upon the murder of the White Queen. "Without you, Underland would have fallen to pieces a long, long time ago. You are the glue that holds us all together," he said genuinely. "And here you are, the White Queen's champion, wallowing in self pity. Some champion you are."

Alice glared at him through her tears, angrily wishing for him to just go away already. "The White Queen is dead because of me," she shrieked, finally admitting her thoughts out loud, only making her feel more guilty.

"You stupid girl! The White Queen knew that this would happen. All of this has been written already, you naïve child. You did not kill her. It was foretold and prophesized thousands of years ago. She knew her time was coming," he scolded her for wallowing in her self pity. "It has been prophesized that another would rise at the falling of one queen. This one would be greater than the last and would overcome the darkness and all of Underland would be in light once more."

Alice blinked in shock, trying to digest what the cat had just told her. "But it's because of me that the Hatter has turned," she said meekly.

Before he disappeared out of sight, Cheshire grinned once more, as if he knew something she did not which he usually did. "It will all make sense in due time, my dear. For now, for now you must face your punishment. The Hatter is coming," he said breathlessly, disappearing into thin air just as the Hatter entered dressed in black slacks, a black silk buttoned up top and a red and black cape that was fastened at his neck. His red hair was flaming as per usual but was pin straight and his eyes were as black as coal. However, that was not what made her gasp. His hat. He wore none.

"Your hat," she whispered. "How can you be a hatter without a hat," she demanded.

The Hatter narrowed his eyes at her and cleared his throat. "I am not the Hatter. I am Tarrant and I will be your personal beheader on this lovely evening." He grinned evilly and he took a step closer to the bars where Alice was conveniently trapped behind.

She threw herself against the bars, gripping them roughly to the point where her knuckles were red and white. "No you're not! You're the Hatter! You're my Hatter," she cried out, refusing to believe that this was it. There was no way she would let him become this evil thing. She couldn't stomach to look at him. She wanted her Hatter back and she wanted him back now. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I left you and made your eyes turn black and your heart turn to ice. Hatter, I didn't abandon you. I was going to come back. I just had to take care of some things back home. You have to believe me, I would never leave you," she desperately tried to get through to him.

He only laughed at her futile attempts at melting his heart of ice. "I am not your Hatter. Perhaps I once was. You had me wrapped around your little finger, Alice. There was a time then I would have done anything you asked of me. But now, well now I am a free man. Thank you for freeing me from your chokehold Alice. I owe you that thanks," he said, taking a step closer and smirking right in her face. "Do you have any other last words before I finish you off? If so, please do make them quick. The Queen and I have business to attend to."

"The Queen is using you to take power. She is going to behead you as soon as she is finished with you," she tried a different tactic, desperate to get him to see the light. "At least believe that. She has never done anything good for you. Why would she start now?"

Tarrant pondered that for a moment. She did have a point, though when he was at his lowest, it was the Red Queen who had come to him and helped him. Not the White Queen or Alice for that matter. The Red Queen had been there for him.

"I've been pondering things that start with the letter M," Alice whispered, glancing up at him. "And then I started pondering things that start with the letter L. Do you know what starts with the letter L, Hatter," she said breathlessly, searching his black eyes for any trace of her old dear Hatter in there. She knew he had to be buried in there somewhere. Hopefully.

"Lollipops," he suggest weakly, his black eyes fading to a deep grey as he looked in her desperate, wide, hopeful blue eyes. Those eyes had haunted him for months. Those eyes that you could just lose yourself in.

"Well yes," she said, smiling sadly as she gripped the bars that separated the two of them even tighter, if possible. "But also love. Love begins with the letter L."

Grey eyes turned a light, dull blue as his eyes widened with hope and his heart beat quickened. "Why were you pondering the word love, Alice," he asked uncertainly, afraid to hope for he did not want to be hurt again.

"Because I love you, Hatter. I always have," she whispered, searching his eyes for any recognition; anything that would give her hope. Her heart soared as she saw his now blue eyes turning back to their familiar lively shade of green. "You do," she thought she heard him say before the gate separating the two of them became unlocked. She heard a familiar cat like chuckle from the far corner as the bars were slid open so that nothing was separating the two of them.

"Gods, yes. I love you," she said again, quickly closing the gap between them and throwing herself in his arms. She had to get his eyes back to their normal green color and she had to fully melt his heart of ice before it was too late; the clock was ticking and she needed to assure him that she truly did love him. Without breaking eye contact, she slowly closed the distance separating their lips. Three inches turned into two inches and two inches turned into one inch. And one inch turned into a mere centimeters. Within a matter of seconds, her lips brushed against his in the gentlest of touches and yet, it had both of their heads spinning. His eyes widened whilst her hand wound it's way into his now slightly crimped hair.

He pulled back, trying to gather his swarming thoughts. "Do you have any idea why a raven is like a writing desk, Alice," he questioned happily, his voice no longer deep and stone cold.

"I haven't a clue but I do know that I'm staying here in Wonderland forever. With you," she said, laughing in delight as she wrapped her arms around his middle, resting her head against his chest. Her Hatter was back. She knew that he had to be down there somewhere.

"I've been pondering things that begin with the letter L, Alice," he said softly, causing her to let out a 'hmm' in response to his statement. "And I love you as well," he said sincerely, momentarily forgetting the predicament they had just been in. He quickly lowered his lips to hers and kissed her passionately, almost hungrily; trying to tell her how much she meant to him in that one single kiss. He deepened the kiss and he could have sworn he was flying as his hands got lost in her unruly blonde mess of curls. Alice loved him. Alice loved him. Alice had come back for him. Alice was going to stay here forever with him.

The White Queen was right; she had come back for him.

At the thought of the White Queen, he pulled away from Alice in horror. "Alice," he said shakily, glancing down at his black and red attire. "I-I murdered the White Queen," he said in disbelief, shaking violently. Dropping to his knees, he buried his face in his hands. What had he done? "What have I done," he mumbled over and over again.


	6. The Green Queen

"It's not your fault, it's not your fault, it's not your fault." The second that the Hatter's knees had hit the floor, Alice had soon followed. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him to her as he buried his head in the crook of her neck. She continued whispering sweet little nothings in his ear as he just completely broke down. She knew it was bound to happen, but she hadn't expected him to just simply collapse as he had done so. Her neck felt damp and she realized that he was crying. Her heart broke when she felt his shoulders shuddering from the racks of silent sobs.

"I promise you that this is not your fault. I turned your heart to ice and the Red Queen brainwashed you. She corrupted you. I swear on all of my muchness that this is not your fault. This was prophesized for thousands of years. It was bound to happen," she told him urgently, desperately trying to halt his tears. When he hurt, she hurt. When he cried, she cried. When he ached, she ached.

Suddenly, he stopped shaking and glanced up at her. "The prophecy," he cried, his eyes widening. "I forgot about the bloody prophecy," he said, his accent changing to a British one. Alice blinked in shock for if they had been in London at that very moment, he would have fit right in. Well perhaps he would not have, but his voice would have blended in well.

"Another queen shall rise at the falling of another," he murmured what he recalled about said prophecy. Realization dawned on his face and his wide, bright green eyes finally rested on Alice. "Oh my," he breathed out in disbelief and shock. He stood up slowly, glancing down at Alice who was still perched on the floor in utter confusion.

She furrowed her brow in concern. "Are you alright, Hatter," she asked hesitantly, hoping that he wasn't about to do anything drastic. She had just got him back and she did not want to lose him again.

"It's you, Alice. It always has been. You're not only the Alice or the White Queen's champion. But you're her," he whispered urgently, grabbing her hand and pulling her back up so that she was standing. He grinned widely. "The White Queen knew that this would happen. It has been destined; written in the stars for centuries. You're the Green Queen, Alice! Don't you see?"

Alice cocked her head to the side, studying the Hatter as if he had just announced that he really was half pig. "What are you going on about, Hatter? Have you gone mad? Well madder than usual," she asked, reaching out and resting her hand against his pale colored cheek.

He shook his head, skipping around in a little dance around her. "You're the rising queen, Alice! How can you not see it? You're the next queen. You're my green queen," he cried, rushing to her and scooping her up in his arms, twirling her around. This was marvelous! Fantastic! Perfect! Wonderful! Spectacular!

Going over the prophecy in her head, Alice shook her head in denial and in shock. "You're mistaken, Hatter. I cannot be the queen. I'm not even sure I am the champion. It was all by sheer luck. I cannot possibly be the queen, let alone the green queen," she rationalized, continuing to shake her head in denial.

The Hatter reached out and rested his palm against her cheek. "Dear, Alice, how can you not see what I see? You are the only one that can make my eyes green. You must be the green queen. You must be." Overhead, the both of them heard frantic footsteps and yelling. "Tarrant, Tarrant, have you beheaded the girl yet? We must behead the Hare next! He is beginning to make a fuss in his own prison!"

At the mention of beheading the Hare, the Hatter's eyes turned a deep shade of red and he growled. Alice jumped back for this was a side of her Hatter she was not used to seeing. "Hatter," she said sharply, causing him to look her way and in an instant, his eyes flashed back to their normal, familiar green. "We must hurry Alice. We have to get you the crown so that you can have the power and the authority to banish the Red Queen!"

"But how! The Red Queen must be wearing it already," she reasoned, trying to figure out how she was going to do this exactly to which the Hatter shook his head in disagreement. "She has not worn it yet. She is going to have a ceremony tonight at six during tea time in which she will remove the crown from the White Queen's head and place it on her own," he said darkly. "She ruined my tea party," he grumbled in annoyance. "That blasted big head."

Alice giggled behind her hand, offering him a small smile. It was glad to have her Hatter back. "I've missed you, Hatter," she whispered, smiling up at him. He slowly began to descend his head down to hers, to gently kiss her once more before the door slammed open and the Red Queen hollered, "What is this!"

The Hatter jumped in front of Alice to protect her as the Red Queen was holding the still stained sword that the Hatter had beheaded the White Queen with. "You will not go near her," he growled, his eyes once more flashing red. One thing that very few knew about the Hatter was how overprotective he was of his friends, especially so of Alice. He loved her and she loved him. He had just recently been reunited with his love and she had agreed to stay with him in Wonderland. There was no way anyone, especially the Red Queen, would ruin this for him.

The Red Queen roared with outrage for her plan was ruined; she had hoped that the Hatter's hatred for Alice would have solidified his heart of ice. She thought he had it in him to kill her, but she saw now that she had been wrong. "Never trust a Hatter to do a Queen's job," she announced, taking a step closer to the pair and the Hatter pushed Alice farther behind him, his eyes flashing once more so that they were green once more with deep red specks in them. "I dare you to come closer, I dare you," he said darkly which was so unlike the Hatter's usual self that his tone even terrified Alice.

The Red Queen called his bluff and took not only one step closer, but three full steps until she was face to face with the Hatter. "I'm closer," she said defiantly, throwing her head back and laughing full heartedly. Closing her eyes to fully indulge in her evil, maniacal laughter, the Hatter took this as an opportunity to grab the sword away from her. She stopped laughing suddenly and looked up at him in horror. "Give that back," she cried.

"Off with your head," he screamed, bringing the sword down once more and slicing through flesh with the same sword that had been used to slice the White Queen's head off.


	7. As Mad As A Hatter

"A queen will rise at the falling of another." The Hare, Cheshire, The Mad Hatter and Alice all sat at a table in the now green castle which had changed color at the removal of the Red Queen's head. The four discussed the prophecy over and over again, often times getting distracted by the Hatter sneaking kisses with Alice when no one was looking and the Hare throwing tea cups around. "I do not understand," Alice said, shaking her head solemnly. "I cannot be the Green Queen because I did not slay the Red Queen," she said for the umpteenth time.

Cheshire rolled his eyes and floated above the table, stretching in mid air as he did so. "You're all foolish, mad men," he cooed, grabbing a scone with his paw and shoving it in his mouth. "Pardon me," he said, spewing crumbs all over the place as he spoke whilst his mouth was full. "Delicious scones," he complimented before remembering what he was about to say. "You're all naïve. Alice is the Green Queen not because she slayed the Red Queen but because she is the queen of the Hatter's," he said in a bored tone.

The Hatter and Alice looked at each other in confusion. "I don't understand," Alice said in confusion, trying to fathom what the cat had just told her.

Cheshire sighed. "Must I explain everything to you," he whined, disappearing from thin air and then reappearing in Alice's lap. "The Hatter is the Green King for he slayed the Red Queen and you, Alice, are his Green Queen. Together you two are the Green King and Queen."

The Hatter's vibrant emerald green eyes sparkled at that. "I am the Green King," he acknowledged proudly, puffing out his chest with pride. "Do you hear that, my Green Queen. Together, we shall rule all of Underland," he said mock maniacally, attempting to mimic the Red Queen's former maniacal laughter. Though, he began to sputter in the midst of it to which Alice laughed. "You are not meant to be evil, you silly Hatter."

Cheshire perked up, "I'm afraid you're as mad as a hatter!"

Alice smiled knowingly, winking at her Green King. "He's absolutely bonkers," she informed the cat, whilst looking directly at the Hatter. "But I'll let you in on a little secret - all the best ones are."


End file.
